Korean BBQ Chicken Recipe, Day 5 of Chicken Wings Week

“This one. These are the best wings. Ever!” declared AJ, even though he pretty much said that of every single chicken wings batch I’ve made. Truth be told, I think it’s the proverbial apples to oranges when it comes to comparing the different wing recipes that I made over the past week for Chicken Wings Week. But the one that AJ seemed to definitively declare the best (at least at the moment) were my Korean BBQ Chicken Recipe that I converted for the wings. I can’t really argue because I kind of love them too. (Jump directly to the recipe.)

Now these Korean BBQ chicken wings aren’t to be confused with the Korean Fried Chicken wings that I posted about earlier this week. Those sticky sweet crispy wings are a class all by themselves (and were also declared AJ’s favorite at the time that I made them). But these wings are marinated in the same marinade that you’d find at Korean BBQ house, the kind that you walk into and feast on seeming endless amounts of marinated meat grilled at your table whereby you walk out of smelling like smoky meaty goodness for days afterwards. The sort of marinade that is normally associated with Kalbi short ribs. But this Korean BBQ marinade work just as well with chicken or pork or pretty much any meat now that I think about it.

The best thing about these wings is you make the marinade in the evening, throw everything in a gallon ziplock bag, then bake, grill or broil the wings the next day. Super easy and perfect for a crowd. They’re similar to teriyaki wings so they won’t freak people out who get scared easily by “foreign” cuisine, but they’re SO much better than the super sweet teriyaki sauce you can buy pre-made in the bottle. But don’t take my word for it. AJ came home from a bike ride and I was pulling them out of the oven. He hovered over me as I finished them and then proceeded to eat 1 1/2 lbs of them without even taking a breather. Apparently they really were the best wings ever.

Korean BBQ Chicken Recipe for Wings

By Irvin Lin

This crazy versatile ginger garlic marinade is awesome on pork, beef or chicken. The addition of kiwi may sound odd, but the fruit functions as both a sweetener to the marinade as well as a tenderizer. Enzymes in the kiwi help to breakdown the meat protein, making it super tender and juicy. Just be forewarned that you shouldn’t over marinade. After 12 hours or so, the kiwi starts to break down the meat and it gets weirdly mushy. So marinate overnight but don’t let them sit too long. Afterwards, it’s super easy to just pull the wings out and cook them. I’ve given instructions on how to bake, broil or grill these wings. Best wings ever indeed!

Adapted from an old Gourmet Magazine recipe (oh man, I so miss that magazine).

Directions1. Combine the garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, green onions, sesame seeds, sugar, kiwis, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine, then spoon out 1/2 cup of the marinade and reserve it in a small bowl (cover and refrigerate).

3. Place the chicken wings in a gallon ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can in the bag and seal it. Massage the chicken to make sure the marinade reaches every chicken piece. Place the bag in a large bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, massaging and turning the bag every now and then if you have the chance.

2. To bake the wings, preheat the oven to 400˚F and spray or coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil. Place the wings on the baking sheet, discarding the marinade in the bag. Bake for 30 minutes, then flip each wing with a spatula and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Once the wings are done, remove from the oven and let rest on the pan. Take the reserve marinade out and puree it in a food processor until smooth. Pour the marinade puree into a medium size nonstick pan. Cook the marinade for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat until it darkens in color and thickens. Remove the wings from the pan (they’ll still be hot) and place them in a large bowl. Scrape the reduced marinade out of the pan and onto the chicken and gently toss. Serve immediately.

3. To broil the wings, place wings on a rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4-5 inches from the heat, for about 10 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through. While the chicken is broiling take the reserve marinade out and puree it in a food processor until smooth. Pour the marinade puree into a medium size nonstick pan. Cook the marinade for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat until it darkens in color and thickens. Once the chicken is done, baste the chicken with the reduced marinade. Serve immediately.

4. To grill the wings, preheat the grill for high heat. Take the reserve marinade out and puree it in a food processor until smooth. If the grate on your grill is widely spaced apart, you might want to skewer the wings together so they don’t fall through or use a grill basket. Place the wings on the grill and cook 8 minutes per side, until the wings are cooked through. Baste the wings as you grill them with the pureed marinade. Serve immediately.

Hey Irvin, these sound delicious, and I’ve been searching tentatively for something better than the standard teriyaki sauce. As a person who loves a person who objects to the kiwi’s very existence, do you think pineapple might be a good substitute? It’s got the sweet, tropical thing, and it’s got similar tenderizing enzymes, right?

Other Korean recipes for barbecued bees used the juice from a grated Korean pear or an American type pear which is said to have the same effect of adding depth of flavor and tenderizing the meat. I have not tried those yet, so I can’t verify how true it is. I think using pineapple will give a flavor reminiscent of Chinese Sweet Sour Ribs which is not the same flavor this chef is aiming for.

Have you ever heard about Azekas ribs from Maui? The place is long gone but everyone loved their Kalbi ribs that they marinated and you brought home to bbq. This recipe sounds like it would be really good with those cross cut ribs. Any suggestions as to how to convert this recipe to beef?

I spent a summer in Maui (in Kihei actually) but sadly it was after Azeka’s closed. They sound great though!

I would actually use the exact marinade without any change. Just keep in mind that the you shouldn’t overmarinate the beef (keep them in there for no longer than 8 hours) because there’s an enzyme in the kiwis that break down the meat. I made the mistake once of marinated short ribs in this marinade for 12+ hours thinking “the longer the better!” but the meat was weirdly mushy! But 8 hours or shorter and you should be fine!

My husband just made the double fried korean wings this past weekend. While they were AMAZING, it took a lot of time when we had 20 guests in the house. So I’m excited to find this as a potential alternative for next time. Question though: which method do you find is best – bake, broil or grill? Looking forward to trying!

I really love grilling these wings because the marinade gives the chicken a really great smokey caramelized flavor. But if you are doing a big batch for guests, baking them in the oven might be the way to go. I doubled the recipe once and just baked them all in the oven for a group of 12 adults (4 kids). Way easier than manning the grill and turning all those tiny pieces of chicken wings.

You could try a little pineapple. The enzyme in kiwis that tenderize meat is called actinidin and it’s present in pineapple, mango, banana and papaya. I think pineapple would probably be the easiest substitute to use though a mango would be tasty too! I’d try a 1 to 1 substitutions, so maybe 1/2 cup of diced pineapple or mango to the marinade. But I haven’t tried this substitution so I can’t be certain. If you try it, please come back and tell me how it turned out!

Did this preparation on the grill and they were a HUGE hit. The kiwi definitely helps with the tenderness, and the marinade was a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and hot. This is the frontrunner for a wing challenge I have coming up at a regional barbeque competition… many thanks for posting this!

Hi! You absolutely can make these boneless but the cook time might be different! The most important thing is to not over marinate as the kiwi has an enzyme that tenderizes the meat and if you over marinate, the chicken meat starts to get weirdly mushy. So keep them to 8 hours maximum and grill, bake or broil the chicken, checking them as you cook. The chicken breasts will cook faster and the thighs slower.

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Hey there! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm Irvin Lin, an IACP-Award winning photographer, award winning baker, award winning graphic designer, storyteller, recipe developer, writer and average joe bon vivant. Hilarity often ensues when I'm involved. I currently reside in San Francisco in the neighborhood people have recently taken to calling "The Gastro" - a block from Dolores Park and right near Tartine Bakery, Bi Rite Market & Creamery, and Delfina.

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